Horse World

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A horse’s behavior is unique to the species and you should understand how your horse thinks to enable you to control him.

There are specific survival techniques all horses generally use throughout their life; these are reactions and instincts they have developed in order to survive. 

If you own a horse or you spend a lot of time around horses then understanding their thought processes can stand you in good stead. This makes training, riding and caring for your horse much easier for you. 

You need to remember when dealing with horses that they will only be able to think of one thing at a time.

If your horse is performing a task and you distract him by giving him conflicting commands and cues, it will confuse your horse and he will be more difficult to train. Ensuring your horse focuses on one task at a time will make his training much easier for you. 

A second instinct horses possess is a reaction to danger (Whether real or perceived). If he thinks something is wrong, he may react by panicking. This is why most horses sleep whilst they are standing.

If they don’t feel safe, they can easily wake up and begin running the other way. Reactions to anything scary can come from a noise or movement that causes them to panic, (my horse hates black plastic bags and peacocks), or other animals or objects they instantly think is harmful to them.

You can also guess how your horse is thinking and reacting to perceived danger by looking at how their eyes, ears and nostrils are moving.

The ears are the best indication. If your horse is feeling afraid or angry, he will move his ears back. If his ears are forward, it usually means he is curious or suspicious of a situation.

If the nose is dilated this is another indication of his curiosity of a situation. If he continues to hold his ears forward and his nostrils dilate, it means you need to soothe your horse and calm him as he is ready for flight.

Horses are herd animals; this is because it is felt there is safety in numbers especially if a predator were to attack. This instinctive trait can be used by you when you are training your horse.

Because horses are herd animals they should never be kept alone without any sight of other horses. If your horse is kept away from other horses you may find it has a distressing effect on him.

Try not to not let your horse become anxious whilst being trained especially if the rest of the herd can see him.

In a herd there is always a leader and your horse may be the leader of the other horses in the field where he grazes. If the rest of the herd (even if it only one or two horses) see he is anxious or upset, it may cause another horse to challenge him. (Injuries can then be sustained).

You can dominate your horse when training and riding him by showing him you are his leader. Many new riders make the mistake of letting their horse call all the shots, if you do this, he will become uncontrollable and unmanageable. (Horses always test new owners to see how far they can go with them)

Previous Articles By This Author

• Buying Your First Horse
• Equipment for Horses
• Basics of Horse Care
• Grooming your Horse
• The History of Horses